How to Scan with a Digital Pen

Scan business cards with a digital pen.

A digital pen is a device that is wider than an ink pen and allows you to scan and store information from business cards, newspaper and magazines. You may then plug the device into a USB port in your computer and download the information you scanned. Scanning with a digital pen requires you to hold the pen at the proper angle.

Things You'll Need

• Digital pen

Instructions

1. Set the document you want to scan with a digital pen on a flat, well-lit surface.

2. Press the "Power" button on your digital pen. Wait for a red, yellow or green scanning light to appear on the tip of the pen.

3. Hold the pen in the hand with which you generally write at an angle that feels comfortable to you. Notice an open space in the end of the pen; this is the area that scans as you move the digital pen over your document.

4. Scan in one line of your document by slowly guiding the digital pen over the line. It doesn't matter whether you scan the information forward or backwards; the pen scans it either way.

5. View the information you are scanning on the display screen of your digital pen (if yours has one). This display screen allows you to monitor the input while you scan to make sure it collects all the desired text.

6. Drag the tip of the digital pen over all the lines that you wish to scan. Press the "Power" button on the scanner again to turn it off.

7. Plug the digital pen's USB cable into your computer, which automatically recognizes the device. The software for your digital pen automatically loads on your computer. Click "Download" to download the document from your digital pen into your computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Digital pen scanners vary depending on the make and model of your pen; consult your owner's manual for any variations in use.

References

• PC World: OCR On the Run
• The New York Times: Here Is Your Pen Scanner, Mr. Bond